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While most animals that you can think of that are able to get into a tree are also able to get their way out, you may find a situation where a wild animal has gotten up into a tree around your yard and you wanted to go away. Animals such as raccoons, possums, snakes, and other critters can get themselves into your tree which can pose several different kinds of hazards for you. You not only have to worry about them jumping down on to you or a member of your family at some point, but you also have to be concerned with them harming the tree or leaving a waste below the tree that can be extremely dangerous. You clearly want this critter out of the tree.



However, the likelihood is that this animal has you at a disadvantage. It may be far up into the tree area, denying you easy access to be able to reach it, plus you may not want to take the risk of coming in direct contact with this animal. You could climb up into the tree and try to knock it down with the stick, but the animal may attack you. This is clearly a huge advantage for the animal.

The decision on what to do to get a wild animal out of a tree begins by determining the kind of animal you are talking about. If this is an animal, like a squirrel, then you know that they can easily get in and out of a tree, so your attempt to get them out may be easy, but keeping them away is an entirely different story. You can generally use something like noise or throwing something into the tree and this will scare away an animal like a bird, squirrel, or the like.

If you are talking about a cat getting into the tree, such as your own or neighbors, then you may be able to simply get it out by climbing a ladder and taking the animal off of the branch it is on. Make sure that you wear gloves and protect yourself by wearing long sleeves. The animal may still be afraid and may lash out at you even if you are trying to help it. It pays to be safe.

If you are talking about another kind of wild animal, especially something like a bear or even a raccoon, it may make some sense to contact your local animal control agency to see what they recommend to do. You may find at times that a bear has climbed up a tree near your neighborhood, and you should never take action to directly try to get the animal down. This requires an expert. However, with smaller sized animals like an opossum or raccoon they will have recommendations for you on what you should do to get these animals out of the tree. It pays to seek the advice of an expert just to make sure that you are playing it is safe as possible.

How to Get an Animal Out of a Tree

Choosing the right approach to get an animal out of a tree depends very much on the animal itself. Shaking the tree might seem like the obvious approach, but this can lead to injuries, broken trees, a scared animal, and a load more. You might even get injured in the process and, above all else, your safety should be paramount, as should the safety of those who live with you.



Animals easily scamper up trees, and often do when they are scared, are on the hunt for food, or are trying to run away from an aggressive predator. The latter can even include people. You must remember that you ARE a massive, aggressive predator to these critters that are stuck up the tree. They don't know that you are just trying to help them, and this means they might even be aggressive towards you in return.

Can you see the animal? You should try communicating to it in a calm and soft manner. You may even want to try holding out food, or placing food on the lower branches. Watch for a while and you may find that the animal comes down on its own free will.

Are there other animals hanging out in the area? If there's a dog sniffing around, for example, you've got no hope of getting that creature back down. All neighborhood pets should be locked away.

If the animal is easy to reach, you could grab a ladder. You'll also want to grab some thick, rubber gloves, as well as a friend to help you steady the ladder and make sure it doesn't fall. Remember — your safety is paramount. There's a very good chance that every time you get a bit higher, the animal will also crawl a little higher, so this chasing-after-it business is often not the best way to go.

If the animal is a cat, the basic play approach could work. A laser pointer has had some effect in getting neighborhood cats down from trees, for example, but this is not something that all households will have to hand.

The best thing to do when you have spotted an animal seemingly stuck in a tree is to wait it out. You don't know that the animal hasn't just hopped up there for a while to get away from something that was chasing it. It might even just be chilling out and taking a break, and maybe even having something to eat. The creature could leave of its own accord.

If some time has passed and the animal still hasn't come down, you could call upon the assistance of someone who has some tools that could help you. The city or county animal services might be able to help you if the animal is a cat. Wildlife removal experts will also be able to help, or offer free advice over the phone if nothing else.

For more information, you may want to click on one of these guides that I wrote:
How To Guide: Who should I hire? - What questions to ask, to look for, who NOT to hire.
How To Guide: do it yourself! - Advice on saving money by doing wildlife removal yourself.
Guide: How much does wildlife removal cost? - Analysis of wildlife control prices.
Animals in the attic - read about the common species.
Noises in the attic - how to identify critters by their sounds.